Why are We Hungry in the Morning When We Eat Late at Night

Many people eat late at night and often feel hungrier in the morning. You may wonder why this happens, which can be understood here. There are different factors which affect our appetite, making us hungrier. Several hormonal, neurological and physiological changes in the body, affect the appetite of a person. It is worth understanding about why we feel hungrier in the morning even when we eat late at night.

Why are We Hungry in the Morning When We Eat Late at Night?

Why are We Hungry in the Morning When We Eat Late at Night?

It has been proven scientifically that a person, who takes his dinner late at night, is known to have a provoked physiological body change, which often increases food cravings, early in the morning. It is interesting to know the reason.

It is noted that we are hungrier in the morning when we eat late at night, particularly when we consume certain types of foods. Foods, which are rich in carbohydrates and sugar levels, activate insulin function, which also trigger the absorption of blood sugar by the pancreas. Due to this we can feel hungrier in the morning. Eating munchies often makes you feel very hungry early morning as well. Feeling hungrier in the morning is merely the effect of usage of glucose in the body, even when the person is sleeping. The insulin present in the body, adapts in such a way, that the glucose levels present in the body, are utilized by the body cells.

The human brain reacts to any changes in the blood glucose level in the body, which then triggers the hunger centers. The appetite centers in the brain respond to the lowered glucose levels, which make you feel hungrier in the morning.

Here are some of the common causes of why we are hungry in the morning, when we eat late at night.

  • It is medically proven that there are certain changes in the body which make us feel hungrier in the morning, especially when we eat late at night. The mechanism is carried out inside the brain, by the hypothalamus, and the brain stem, affects our appetite.
  • Hormonal changes often occur due to eating late at night, which indirectly affect the glucose levels. Hormones like leptin, ghrelin, play a very important role in deciding whether the person is hungry or not.
  • An imbalance of these hormones can occur when we eat the wrong type of food that too late at night. Any type of fluctuation or change in the hormones of the human body, directly affects our appetite.

Hormonal Changes That Make Us Hungrier in the Morning

Insulin is an important hormone that triggers hunger and decides our appetite. When we eat late at night, the body undergoes some physiological changes, which often make us hungrier in the morning. Whenever a person takes a carbohydrate or glucose food items, for dinner, late at night, the pancreas release excess of insulin to make use of the excess glucose present in the body, even during sleep.

When all the extra glucose present in the body, gets utilized, it triggers the action of another hormone, called glucagon, which makes a person feel hungrier. This hormone secreted by the body, is entirely meant to trigger the craving for food, which makes a person feel hungry. Frequent release of this hormone, can make us feel hungry, within short intervals of time.

This is the main reason, why we are hungrier in the morning, even when we eat late at night. Due to drop in sugar levels and release of glucagon, hunger is triggered. The appetite center gets a stimulus from the brain, which makes us hungry, in the morning.

After knowing about the prominent reasons of feeling hungrier in the morning, even when we eat late night, medical nutritionists’ advice to take food early in the morning. With this our body gets enough time to digest it and keeps us light and active all day long. Also, taking the right type of food for dinner and avoiding eating late at night can help. Complex carbohydrates can help to maintain blood glucose levels for long and prevent sudden drop in blood sugar in the morning.

In order to establish a healthy life style, we should maintain a habit of having early dinner, which balances out the body metabolism rate, all day long. Also doing regular exercise can keep us healthy and fit. It can also reduce the risk of feeling hungrier in the morning, sudden changes in blood sugar levels and problems of weight gain.

So, if you are wondering about why you feel hungry very early morning, even if you take dinner late night, then you should know that it is primarily because of the hormonal changes in the body, our diet and lifestyle. Making necessary changes in our diet and following a healthy lifestyle, can help us manage the problem of feeling hungrier in the morning when we eat late at night.

Team PainAssist
Team PainAssist
Written, Edited or Reviewed By: Team PainAssist, Pain Assist Inc. This article does not provide medical advice. See disclaimer
Last Modified On:July 7, 2017

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